Indo-AmerIcAn news • FrIdAy, August 12, 2022 • www.IndoAmerIcAn-news.com NewsAmIndoerican www.indoamerican-news.com 2470 Dairy Ashford, Houston, TX 77077 • 713.789.NEWS (6397) • indoamericannews@yahoo.com Special CommunityReportsBriefsLocalPolitics South Asians in the News Published weekly from Houston, TX W E D D I N G S , S P E C I A L E V E N T S , T E N T E D E V E N T S , O U T D O O R C O U R T Y A R D 3 3 3 0 F M 1 4 6 3 | K a t y , T X 7 7 4 9 4 | 8 3 2 . 8 5 5 . 5 5 2 0 | p a l m r o y a l v i l l a . c o m ZEE Telugu Sa ReGa Ma Pa A Spectacle for the Senses: IAA Hosts Mahatma Symphony Friday, August 12, 2022 | Vol. 41, No. 32 $1 P11Violin virtuoso Dr. L. Subramanian, vocalist Kavita Krishnamurti, and conductor Ankush Kumar Bahl take a bow alongside the Houston Symphony after the inspirational performance of the Mahatma Symphony. Photo: Amitava Sarkar SEE PAGE 2 IAPAC Meets OfficialsP4
Houston: A Houston audience was mesmerized by violin virtuoso Dr. L. Subramaniam’s tribute to Ma hatma Gandhi and his message of peace and nonvio lence. The historic concert was presented by the IndoAmerican Association (IAA) of Houston on Saturday, August 6 at the Hobby Center for Performing Arts in downtown Houston. Consul General Aseem Mahajan introduced the performance as part of “Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav”-- a celebration of India’s 75th year of inde pendence.IAAhad commissioned Dr. Subramaniam to com pose this rousing musical tribute. “It took months of planning, hard work, and detailed coordination to make it happen,” said IAA Executive Director Sheetal Bedi. This was a first-ever collaboration between the IAA and the Houston Symphony. The Mahatma Symphony takes you on an evocative musical journey through the life and works of Ma hatma Gandhi in three stages -- his struggle in South Africa, followed by “satyagrhaha” nonviolent freedom struggle, and ending with Gandhi’s tragic martyrdom. Dr. Subramaniam’s composition incorporates African rhythms reflecting Gandhi’s initial struggle for human rights on behalf of the India migrants in South Africa. The freedom struggle in India was portrayed through several performances, including the devotional hymn “Vaishnava Janato,” one of Gandhi’s favorites, sung in a mellifluous voice by famed playback singer Kavita Krishnamurti in the lead with the Houston Sympho ny and its Chorus. The final movement of symphony touched upon the painful partition and Gandhi’s assas sination, and concluded with the climatic optimism of India’s freedom from colonial rule. “It was a soul-sirring performance which combined the best of Indian and Western music, presented in the prestigious venue of the Hobby Center,” said a Gen X member of the audience.” Of special significance was Dr. Subramaniam’s solo performance of his own “Shantipriya” to the accompaniment of the Houston Symphony. The best part of the concert, according to my 11-year-old granddaughter, was what she called the “tabla song”, a back-and-forth rendition by the percus sionists and Dr. Subramaniam on the violin Founded in 1993, IAA today is a leading cultural arts organization presenting world-class talent. Each year, IAA has presented a thoughtfully curated season of 8-10 live shows. To encourage such monumental concerts, please join the IAA as a patron. For more information, visit www.iaahouston.org or call 832-315-6586.
By Jyoti KulKarni
Indo-AmerIcAn news • FrIdAy, August 12, 2022 • www.IndoAmerIcAn-news.com August 12, 20222
The joint appearance of the Houston Symphony and the Dr. L. Subramaniam quartet (left) with vocalist Kavita Krishnamurti created an awe-inspiring musical tribute to Mahatma Gandhi and celebration of 75th anniversary of India’s independence. Photo credit: Amitava Sarkar Hobby Center audience enjoyed the collaborative meeting of Indian and Western classical music.
COMMUNITY World Premiere of Mahatma Symphony Enthralls Houston Audience
Indo-AmerIcAn news • FrIdAy, August 12, 2022 • www.IndoAmerIcAn-news.com August 12, 2022 3
CARE GIVER WANTEDI Preference Given to Live In Caregiver. Separate Room & Board will be provided. Competitive compensation offered. Must be able to assist in daily needs, cooking and walking. For immediate response, call
FOR ELDERLY INDIAN LADY IN RICHMOND,
Houston: The Indian American Political Action Committee of Greater Houston (IAPAC) hosted the first non-partisan reception for over 25 elected officials and over 130 members of the Indian Ameri can community at India House on August 4. The event ‘Meet Your Elect ed Officials’ reflected IAPAC’s uniqueness of being the only nonpartisan political voice for Indian Americans in the Greater Houston region. The event hosted officials currently serving in office from both the Republican and Demo crat political parties. Additionally, multiple Indian Americans repre senting both regional and religious groups as well as professional or ganizations were present. Attend ees had the opportunity to meet the officials who impact them the most: those serving in local of fices.IAPAC Board Member and Event Chair Vivek Menon kicked off the event with a quote by Rabi ndranath Tagore about service, set ting the tone for the evening and how we need to focus more on our commonalities than our differ ences.Congresswoman Lizzie Fletcher further cemented that idea with her speech about the work she’s been doing across party lines to better serve the community. Speaking about diversity, she said, “This is a place where we welcome people, we welcome ideas and we come together to solve problems and instead of seeing those problems as obstacles, we see them as op portunities and that’s what tonight represents, and this engagement has to happen all the time not only at the Senatorballot.”John Cornyn’s Office was represented by Jay Guerrero, who highlighted the continuous relationship Sen. Cornyn’s office has had with the Indian commu nity, creating the first Senate India Caucus, and traveling to India last year with a delegation focused on strengthening the alliance of the two nations. Guerrero empha sized the need for such events by IAPAC spotlighting the important relationships that have been built over many years. Fort Bend County Judge K.P. George and County Court at Law No. 3 Judge Juli Matthew were just two of the Indian American dis tinguished speakers at the event. Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo sent a video message congratulat ing IAPAC and the importance of such organizations. Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez and Dist. 27 Representative Ron Reynolds also spoke about collaboration among the various levels of government and political parties. While connecting the history of IAPAC from its early days known as “Association of Indian Americans” in 1984 to presentday, IAPAC President Dr. Roopa Gir said, “The progress we have made over these past two and half decades is nothing short of exem plary, with many aspirants from the community today in elected offices”. She made a call for more involvement from the community, especially from youth, as they are the future of the country. Roopa recognized the founders and made special mention of San jay Ram, Chairman of the MET RO Board of Directors, who was also a board member and former president of IAPAC. Reflecting on Ramesh Anand, the immediate past present, Roopa said, “He has
In closing, IAPAC Vice Presi dent Gaurav Jhaveri thanked our sponsors and volunteers, and an nounced upcoming events for IAPAC including the WE@IAPAC women’s empowerment initiative in October, and a Thanksgiving lunch that brings together global ethnic and religious communities and their elected officials. Gaurav concluded by announcing that the IAPAC Gala will be held in Spring 2023. TEXAS 832-316-3199
IAPAC Hosts Non-Partisan Reception to Build Bridges with Elected Officials
Indo-AmerIcAn news • FrIdAy, August 12, 2022 • www.IndoAmerIcAn-news.com August 12, 20224 COMMUNITY
IAPAC members met with both Democratic and Republic leaders in the greater Houston area. Right: Congresswoman Lizzie Fletcher been an inspiration to me and all of us and has provided exemplary leadership in many ways, includ ing his creativity bringing in new blood into IAPAC.
Indo-AmerIcAn news • FrIdAy, August 12, 2022 • www.IndoAmerIcAn-news.com August 12, 2022 5
Indo-AmerIcAn news • FrIdAy, August 12, 2022 • www.IndoAmerIcAn-news.com August 12, 20226 Chemical Engineers: Req. BS Chemical Engineering w/3 years specialty chemical mfg. experience Batch Process Req. 3 yrs. Chemical batch process exp. Process Tech Certification not required. Analytical Chemist: Req. BS Chemistry, w/3 years basic knowledge, exp w/ analytical equip. (GC, GC/ MS, HPLC, FTIR, AA) Bench Top Chemist: Req. BS Chemistry w/3 years exp. bench formulations & analytical techniques w/3 yrs. specialty chemical mfg. exp. Email resume to: baycityapply@chemicalsinc.com Great pay and benefits. EOE/AAP IS NOW HIRING IN BAY CITY ChemicalOperators:Operators:Engineers:BatchProcessAnalyticalChemist:BenchTopChemist: FINANCE SONY832-766-6662KOHLIYOURREALESTATEAGENT I, Shazeem Ramani, NAME CHANGE resident of 17622 Sauki Lane, Richmond, TX 77407 have changed my name to Shazeem Kudchiwala for all future purposes. Technical Laboratory Systems, Inc. M/WBE Supplier Opportunity is bidding on Project #21-06-02-A Instructional Curriculum Materials, Supplies & Digital Resources for the Houston Independent School District. Our company is looking for possible M/WBE subcontractors. We are looking for possible M/WBE suppliers to provide the following products: Career Technical Education Science Software. If you are interested in this opportunity, please contact Allison Mata at 800-445-1088 by August 19, 2022
Indo-AmerIcAn news • FrIdAy, August 12, 2022 • www.IndoAmerIcAn-news.com August 12, 2022 7
DAV School Wins First Place in State at PSIA advanced to the State Competi tion, and won 19 awards in various categories. Of the winners, three placed First, five placed Second, and one placed Third. This school’s performance is a testament to the rigors and training put forth by the teachers and supported by the par ents.Itis no wonder that so many Indian-American families have chosen to send their children for the prestigious program DAVMES offers- the perfect culmination of academics, multi-cultural appre ciation, and moral character. State Winners were: Ansh Shah (1st place, Creative Writing), Ri ana Patel (2nd place, Storytelling), Aabha Yeole (1st place, Spelling), Tanish Zanwar (6th place, Story telling), Akshara Chaudhari (2nd place, Storytelling), Yash Tayal (2nd place, Spelling), Virinchi Vin jamuri (2nd place, Spelling), Vraj Patel (1st place, Number Sense, 3rd place, Math, 5th place, Spell ing), Jasmine Kadakia (2nd place, Math, 5th place, Listening Skills, 7th place, Spelling), Samyak Na kil (4th place, Maps, Graphs, and Charts, 7th place, Dictionary Skills), Vedant Sharda (5th place, Dictionary Skills, 6th place, Maps, Graphs, and Charts), Dhruvi Shah (9th place, Ready Writing), Sohum Jhingran (4th place, Information Skills).TheDAV School is currently en rolling for the 2022-2023 school year for preschool – 5th grade. To schedule a tour or for more infor mation contact Ms. Arti Khanna at (281) 759-3286 or by email direc tor@davhouston.org. The first day of school is August 15, 2022. Join today to begin your child’s journey of excellence!
Indo-AmerIcAn news • FrIdAy, August 12, 2022 • www.IndoAmerIcAn-news.com August 12, 20228 EDUCATION For Advertising in Indo-American News call Jawahar Malhotra @ 713-789-6397 Pradeep Sulhan, P.C. Certified Public Accountant Over 25 years of experience 14340 Torrey Chase Blvd. | Suite 110 | Houston, Texas 77014 281-583-2993 | 281-580-8700 office@pspccpa.com| pradeep@pspccpa.com Call Sid or Pradeep ®All rights reserved. No material herein or portions thereof may be published without the written consent of the publisher. Deadline for advertising and articles is 4 pm on Monday of each week. Please include self-addressed, stamped envelope for return of all unsolicited material. Published at 7457 Harwin Drive, Suite 212, Houston, Texas 77036.Tel:713-789-6397, email: indoamericannews@yahoo.com, website: www. indoamerican-news.com Indo American News Founder: dr. K.l. sindwani PuBlisHer: JawaHar MalHotra editor: PraMod KulKarni CorresPondent: sanCHali Basu Houston: DAV Montessori and Elementary students participated in the Private Schools Interscho lastic Association (PSIA) State Meet held on Saturday, May 7 at the Texas Christian University campus in Fort Worth. This event is rooted in virtue and academic excellence and is the culmination of months of hard work and dedi cation.Prior to the event, twenty-sev en DAV students competed at the District Meet bringing home fifty-two wins! Thirteen students placed First, ten placed Second, eight placed Third, thirteen placed Fourth, seven placed Fifth, and one placed Sixth. The students participated in diverse categories including Math, Spelling, Writ ing, Dictionary Skills, Storytell ing, Maps, Graphs, and Charts, among others. Fourteen students
Power of Compounding: A phenomenal wonder of the financial world; Compounding is usually referenced when talk ing about interest on investments. Interest generated in one period is added to the initial investment to generate even more interest in subsequent periods. It’s magical, isn’t it. Depending upon your per sonal financial strategy, you are either making compound inter est or paying it! You want to be in the camp of making compound interest. I advise on some of these vehicles as well. The Rule of 72 A fascinating mathematical ob servation that goes something like this: Let’s say that you have put some of your money in a financial vehicle that earns some form of interest (profit, etc.). Let’s also as sume that the rate of interest you earn each year is “x”. The time it would take for you to double your money is calculated by dividing 72 by “x”. For Example, it would take 18 Years to double your investment (of any amount) if the rate of interest is 4% (i.e., 72/4 = 18). So, depend ing upon your asonalexpandvehicle,nancial/investmentfiyouwillyourpertreasuryovercertainperiod.
Taxation Oh Wow! Now that’s a prickly sub ject, isn’t it! What ever your opinion on the how’s and why’s of taxation, even you know that one way or the other we all end up paying taxes. I’m sure you have heard stories of the wealthy paying very little taxes. Why is that? Basi cally, the IRS tax code has enough incentives (loopholes) that taxes can be reduced or avoided. [Note: never ever engage in tax eva sion – that’s a crime]. Financially educated people work with their Financial Advisors, CPAs, Attor neys, etc. to utilize this very IRS tax code to reduce their taxes. So why not the rest of us? It’s back to the gap in our financial education and defining a proper strategy for our money. The real education in Taxation is developing an under standing of financial vehicles that are Taxable, Tax Deferred, and Tax Advantaged (yes, there is such a thing!) and planning in advance to
Nalanda University
EDUCATION
Part 2. In this article, I want to continue to set out a foundation for Fi nancial Education. I am very passion ate about educating people – adults & kids – about person al finance and filling in the “gaps” in their financial education. While I would never claim to know ev erything about per sonal finance man agement, I feel that I have a lot to share as a “financial educator”. Treat what follows as my experience and personal opin ion, but always – always do your own research on all matters related to investing your money By the way, if you missed Part 1 of this article, make sure to concepts.(middleneedconcepts.discusstion.proachconceptsawww.indoamerican-news.comvisitforread.LasttimeIcoveredfundamentalofTheTraditionalAptofinanceandDiversificaIwillpickupfromthereandsomesimplemathematicalIloveMath,butallyouaresomefundamentalskillsschoollevel)togettheseLet’sgetrolling.
By asH MalHotra
Now, as the new campus of Nalanda University prepares for a formal inau guration, the focus is on how best it can retain the cultural and architectur al ethos of Nalanda Mahavihara, the 5th-12th Century AD university that is considered to be one of the greatest centres of learning in ancient India.
Patna: Open rooms as study cen tres, small classrooms with a stu dent-teacher ratio of 1:8, and “bot tle-shaped” bazaars and shopping arcades for students — a mere 12 km from the ruins of Nalanda, this soar ing idea of a learning space has been taking shape over the last four years in Rajgir, a town that’s over a 100 km from Patna.
Nalanda University (NU) Vice Chancellor Professor Sunaina Singh is all set to announce the launch of full-fledged operations. “As NU is re-purposing its vibrant past with its academic architecture, we announce commencement of the academic year 2022-23, functioning of hos tels from the new campus and recent placements of the first batch of MBA students by top recruiters. Besides, various specialised short-term pro grammes have been launched by the university.”
Indo-AmerIcAn news • FrIdAy, August 12, 2022 • www.IndoAmerIcAn-news.com August 12, 2022 9
Financial Education -- A Primer re-position our investments to take advantage of these provi sions. Taxes are a very lengthy subject, and I will get into it in future articles. To conclude, my team and I are here to educate you on topics pertaining to personal finance, show you how to avail of some of these financial ve hicles, and either help you with them or direct you to the pro fessionals that handle certain vehicles that are outside of our professional purview. We are Families Educating Families About financial (FEFAF) suc cess. Let our fantastic team of Financial Mentors expand your vision! Send in your questions or comments to me at amfi nins@gmail.com or text me at 832.723.9555. Let’s talk and discuss your financial goals and fill in the gaps in your fi nancial education. See you next time for a deeper discussion of some of the practical side of financial vehicles!
Indo-AmerIcAn news • FrIdAy, August 12, 2022 • www.IndoAmerIcAn-news.com August 12, 202210
Last Week’s Solution
Indo-AmerIcAn news • FrIdAy, August 12, 2022 • www.IndoAmerIcAn-news.com August 12, 2022 11 Solution Next Week Send us the correct answer before August 16, 2022. Email us at indoamericannews@yahoo.com. Please send us your solved Sudoku for your name to be published. Place a number in the empty boxes in such a way that each row across, each column down and each 9-box square contains all of the numbers from one to nine.
HyderaBad: Zee Telugu’s pre mier reality show, Sa Re Ga Ma Pa - The Singing Superstar, has taken viewers on a memorable musical journey over the past six months by presenting extraordinary per formances by its talented contes tants week after week. This season has introduced viewers to several young talents and won their hearts, however, like every good thing, this show is also coming to an end. But before it goes off-air, a powerpacked grand finale will be show cased where the top 8 finalists go head-to-head to win the title of the next Singing Superstar. The con testants will sing their heart out for one last time in a bid to take home the trophy during the Sa Re Ga Ma Pa – The Singing Superstar Grand Finale, which will be telecast on 14th August from 11 am onwards. While the enchanting perfor mances of the finalists will surely mesmerise one and all, a few sur prise acts and the presence of sing ing icon P Susheela, superstars Nithin, Kriti Shetty, and Shruti Haasan will also ensure that the audience is hooked to their TV screens. The Grand Finale will witness the top 8 finalists includ ing Abhinav, Daniel, Sai Sri Cha ran, Sudhanshu, Shivani, Shruthi ka, Parvathi, and Pranav Kaushik going head-to-head in several mu sical rounds and keeping the audi ence glued to their TV screens. The mega episode will also see P Susheela being felicitated for her invaluable contribution to the field of music. In fact, she will also take everyone on a trip down the mem ory lane and leave them emotional as she reminisces her musical stint with SP Balasubramanyam with whom she sung some of their alltimeMakinghits. the finale even more glamorous, Shruti Haasan will be seen rocking the stage with her singing and dancing skills, while Nithin and Krithi Shetty from ‘Macherla Niyojakavargam’ will impress one and all with their dance moves on a popular number from the movie. What’s more is that actor-cumproducer Niharika Konidela, YouTubers Anil Geela and Nikhil Vijayendra Simha and other ac tors from the upcoming web series ‘Hello World’ will also be seen engaging the viewers with their funny banter and make everyone laugh out loud! While these celeb rities will spread cheer and joy on the faces of the nervous finalists through some heart-warming con versations, anecdotes, memories and advice, music director-cumsinger Raghu Kunche and noted director Dev Katta will also the surprise contestants with some exciting offers. Last but not the least, a special patriotic rendition by budding singers will mark the India’s Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav celebrations, which will be fol lowed by a special felicitation of ex-servicemen.
ENTERTAINMENT
The Grand Finale will surely be epic, and you cannot miss watch ing the star-studded episode to find out the winner of Sa Re Ga Ma Pa – The Singing Superstar To make the Grand Finale even more appealing, Zee Telugu has announced a special contest – Win with the Winner – where the view ers just have to guess the winner and win an exciting prize! All you have to do is scan the QR code shown on the channel and its social media handles and guess the winner. The contest will be open till 13th August and the win ner, who will be decided through a lucky draw and announced on 14th August, will get a mega prize.
Recent Winners Kumud Athavale, Ramana Vadrevu, Krishna R. Vud dagiri, Sanchali Basu, Yudhveer Singh Bagga, Prabha Barvalia, Smayan Umesh Poojary, Ramesh Shah, Nir mala Devi Rajesh Prabhu, Vishwam Rathod, Arup Gupta, Padmanabhan Subbier Telugu ‘Sa Re Ga Ma Pa’ Grand Finale
Zee
Forest Gump as ‘Laal Singh Chaddha’
Kareena Kapoor and Aamir Khan in “Laal Singh Chaddha” It is a faithful adaptation that still finds the space to lean into specific cultural influences, deep history, and lovely visuals.
Indo-AmerIcAn news • FrIdAy, August 12, 2022 • www.IndoAmerIcAn-news.com August 12, 202212
